The Philippines 2016 General Election: Election automation in the Philippines – Get the facts

1. Speed of results

In 2016 results were published in real time right after the first vote counting machine transmitted its election data. The new President was known the same night of Election Day with 86% of votes transmitted by election night. This is an impressive feat in a country spread across more than 7,000 islands and with one of the biggest diasporas in the world.

Speed of results matters for democracy. Faster results mean less instability and greater confidence in the outcome. The progress has been extraordinary – before automation it took weeks to have even an idea of the results.

Participation rates have increased since automation was first implemented in 2010, reverting a downward trend that was hindering democracy. The confidence of the public in the result and the use of technology helped to enable people all over the country and even those living overseas to make their voices heard.